Allison - Playground Warrior

A few weeks ago I received a call from school that Allison fell on the playground and scrapped up her nose pretty good. When I picked her up from school, I expected her to be quite dramatic about her injury, as scrapes are a pretty big deal around here; however, Allison really didn't make a big deal about it.  Her nose was quite red. I felt bad for her, but I didn't make a big deal out of it either.

A few days later, I tried taking Allison's picture and she said no because her "nose looked bad." Later on, she asked me to pick her up so that she could look at herself in the mirror. As Allison looked in the mirror she said, "I look beautiful" and then she scrunched her nose and said, "Well, not my nose - that doesn't look beautiful." My heart broke. I told her that she did look beautiful and that her nose was a badge of being a playground warrior. She asked what that meant and I explained to her that being a playground warrior meant that she gets outdoors and plays - that she isn't afraid to fall and get right back up. I told Allison that it lets the world know that she doesn't just sit there on the sidelines watching others play. I want my girls to be playground warriors; to be proud of their bruises and not to be content with sitting on the bench during recess. I simply want them to know that they are beautiful - no matter what. 

So, now at bath time, the girls proudly count their bruises and compare notes. So, I can take one little sigh of relief and know that this latest crisis has been adverted for now and feel confident that my girls still know that they rock.